Eli's 1st Birthday

Ava's cousin Eli celebrated his 1st birthday on Feb. 19th. We went to Gridley for a family party last Sunday. It is great to be so close to many of Ava's cousins. She loves to play with them and now that she is older they love to play with her. I can't wait for Eli to start running around with her. They are going to have a lot of fun this summer.

The Birthday Boy. He is just so cute!!

Ava enjoyed a cupcake. She recently has developed a sweet tooth.

Ava, Eli, and Bella playing with one of Eli's presents.

Disney On Ice

Last weekend we went to see Disney on Ice. Ava's birth mom, Kimberly, bought us tickets for Ava's birthday. This was the first time any of us went to Disney on Ice, so we were all excited. At first Ava seemed a little overwhelmed by the amount of people and the show. As soon as she saw Mickey & Minnie Mouse she was happy and kept asking to see them if they were backstage. Ava also enjoyed the Princess part of the show and actually clapped for Snow White. Ava's favorite part was of course the end when the Toy Story characters hit the ice. She got to see Buzz, Jesse, Woody, Rex, & Ham ("Porkchop" according to Ava). I think she would of liked to see them skate the entire show along with Mickey & Minnie. Overall, it was a great afternoon and we all had a good time.

THANKS KIM!!

Ava sat on Rich's lap most of the time. At first she was a little nervous, but it was also the best view of the show. She is clutching her Minnie Mouse souvenir cup.

This is the opening number. Many of the characters were there, but not Ava's favorites.

We had great seats. We were only 4 rows back and got to see many characters up close.

This is the Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia.

Dancing brooms

One of Rich's favorite Disney characters had a starring role.

Jack Skeleton was joined by other Disney Villains. Maleficent (bottom left corner) was pretty cool with a glowing staff.

This was by far Ava's favorite part of the show. She was so excited to see Buzz and Jesse. She was a little sad when their number ended.

Woody and Buzz spinning in the air.

We were grateful to get a family photo at the end of the show. We have too many pictures of just one of us and Ava. I don't know if you can tell, but Ava is wearing her light-up "Buzz Boots". These are probably Ava's favorite shoes.

Fun at Home

Two of our favorite books are by John Butler. The first video is Ava acting out the book, "Can You Cuddle Like A Koala?". The second video is Ava making some of the sounds for, "Can You Growl Like A Bear?".

This video is of Ava spinning. She loves to spin. Sometimes she gets a little wild & crazy and we never know what is going to happen.

Guess who likes to swing now?

AVA!

The Jensen's gave us this cool tree swing when Ava was born, but she always hated it until now. Last weekend we thought we would give the swing another try and Ava loved it. This time instead of screaming to get out, she was screaming to stay in. Ava kept telling us more and that she didn't want to stop. We were happy she was happy, but it sure did make our arms tired.

*Side note: Ava doesn't normally wear a helmet to swing. We just got home from a bike ride and she didn't want to take it off. We aren't weird, crazy, overprotective parents.

Holding Hands

When we are in a parking lot or on the sidewalk we make Ava hold our hand to help keep her safe. Usually we prepare her when we are leaving the store or getting out of the car, so she knows she has to hold our hand. Being the silly girl she is when we say, "Ava you need to hold our hand", she holds her own hands. Ava simply holds her hands together and thinks that is enough. Instead of making a big deal about it we simply hold her arm and let her continue to hold her own hands. She doesn't mind and we think it is kind of cute.

Domestic Diva In Training

Ava loves to help out around the house. One of her favorite things to do is sweep. Ava hijacked my broom for a week until I bought her, her own at the Dollar Store. Now she walks around the house sweeping as she goes. I just hope this enthusiasm continues into her teenage years, but I won't hold my breath.

Ava also loves to help in the kitchen. Whenever I make dinner she calls for her "upa" which is her step stool. She likes to measure and is a stirring master. Just like her mom Ava's favorite kitchen tool is the whisk. It is a lot of fun to share something I love with someone I love. I hope this is the start of many fond memories spent in the kitchen together.

Just So Cute!

Ava is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I love her so much. She makes me smile, laugh, and love life. I'm a lucky mom.

Buzz Shaving Cream

Ava got a Buzz Lightyear play shaving kit for Christmas. She loves to play with the foam and pretend to shave me. She will put it on her face too, but she really loves to use the razor on my face. She usually does a good job, but I have to protect my eyes so they don't get poked. Ava has lots of fun with it. I have to limit it to one shave per bath because she always wants to do more.

Budding Artist

Ava loves to color and draw. We have been spending a lot of time recently at her easel or the table coloring. Ava is good at making circles, lines, and squiggly snakes. She colors with her right or left hand and sometimes both at once. Ava also likes to tell Rich and I what to draw. I'm usually asked to draw Mickey Mouse, Daddy, and Luca. Ava just discovered Rich's artistic talent and has been requesting Buzz Lightyear and other Toy Story characters. It is exciting to watch her talents bloom and I can't wait to see what she will do next.

I was really impressed with Rich's Buzz Lightyear. My red Mickey Mouse isn't too bad either. But the best are Ava's beautiful circles.

Tea Party

This week Ava and I had our first tea party. Ava would call it a water party because that is what she chose to serve (pretend water). At first Ava did not want to share, but soon she gave me a cup and made sure to keep filling it up. Once she got the idea of sharing she was a great hostess. Now we have a "water" party everyday. Sometimes they last for a few minutes sometimes a lot longer. It is so much fun to watch Ava use her imagination.

This is my tupperware play set from the 70's (I'm sure you can tell by the colors). I use to love to play with it, so I saved it to share with my children. I'm glad I did because Ava loves it.

Potty Time

Potty training has officially started in our home. We are taking it slow and letting Ava take the lead. We don't want to push her into it, but at the same time we don't want to delay it either. We started by getting the "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD. It is pretty cheesy, but it helped introduce the idea of using the potty.

We also found a treat that Ava is excited to use the potty for, chocolate fish crackers. At first we gave her some crackers for just sitting on the potty. We were proud of her for just trying and not being afraid. Once Ava made this connection she wanted to use the potty all the time. We have now started giving Ava 2 fish crackers for "trying" to use the potty and more if she actually uses the potty.

So far Ava has done well. She has told us several times that she needed to go and actually went. She still usually goes in her diaper, but she is starting to make the connection and we are excited about that. When ever she goes in the potty we make a big deal about it and she is so proud of herself. It is cute to see the big smile on her face and her excitement (mostly about fish crackers). We are also making a big deal about washing her hands which she really enjoys.

We know this is just the beginning and this will be a long learning experience. We know it is going to be a roller coaster ride and will become more challenging as we move away from diapers. For the moment we are trying to be as supportive and encouraging as we can without overwhelming her. We are proud of our big 2 year old girl.

What did she say?

Ava's language has exploded recently. It is so much fun to hear her say new words and start to form sentences. Even though she is learning and improving it is still hard to understand her at times. Ava often spouts out full sentences that don't mean much to anybody else but her. There are also a lot of words and phrases that we understand that leave others saying, "what?". Sometimes I even have to translate for Rich.

Here is a guide to understanding Ava:
"Me Mou" - Mickey Mouse
"Mimi Mou" - Minnie Mouse
"Pooda cheese" - Pretzel & Cheese
"Pooda" - Panda
"Burr" - Cold
"Pooda Burr" - Cold Panda (explanation below)
"Lala" - Elmo
"Zosa" - Zoie (Sesame Street)
"Oatmeal gaga" - Oatmeal with jelly
"Papa Pea" - Pasta & Peas
"Chur Chur" - Cheerios
"Bubu" - Blanket or Music (if signing)
"Tur tur" - Water
"Ado" - Thank you
"Peas" - Please
"Cuca" - Luca (our dog)
"Fiis cracka" - Fish cracker
"Caca" - Chocolate
"Caca fiis cracka" - Chocolate fish cracker or Potty Treat
"Cra" - Crayon
"Baby Cuca" - Baby Beluga (Raffi song)
"nigh nigh" - sleep/nap
"Buzzzz" - Buzz Lightyear
"Jessa" - Jesus or Jesse (Toy Story)
"Baby Jessa" - Baby Jesus
"Squa" - Square
"I ceam" - Ice cream
"Bee" - Big
"Boom-boom, Boom-boom" - Heart (like a beating heart)

Things Ava doesn't say:
-Ava still sniffs to say flower
-Ava makes an air circle with her finger to say circle
-Often still signs please, thank you, and more while saying the word
-Signs sorry
-Signs bird

Other fun facts:
-Almost all animals are known by their sounds. Ava does call a pig by it's name and doesn't oink. My favorite animal sounds are the wolf, owl, and monkey.
-Ava likes the book "Go. Dog. Go." She likes to read along by saying, "Go. Oo Oo. Go." (Oo Oo is how Ava barks like a dog.)
-Ava knows most of the sounds the letters of the alphabet make. She also is good at recognizing some letters.
-Ava likes to count.
-When Ava wants to use the potty she says, "Fiis Cracka". When Ava needs to use the potty but doesn't want to she says, "No pee-pee pooh-pooh" and tries to hide out.
-No matter where we are (home, store, etc.) if Ava hears a phone ring she puts her hand to her ear and says, "Hello".
-One of Ava's favorite stuffed animals is named "Pooda Burr" or cold panda. This friend started out as an ice pack and Ava thought it was funny to touch us with the cold panda. Eventually Ava played with him so much the ice pack got a hole and now he is just another stuffed animal. Ava still calls him "Pooda Burr" though.
-We are working on sharing and trying to teach Ava that she doesn't own everything. Ava likes to share my water and instead of fighting over it I share as long as she asks nicely. This is how Ava asks to share my water, "My mama tur tur. Peas?".
-When Rich plays Metroid on the Wii Ava calls it, "Daddy Buzzz", referring to Buzz Lightyear. I think Rich taught her that so he could have an excuse to play.

Fun at Home

This past week Ava and I came down with a head cold. We started off the week feeling pretty miserable, but are slowly recovering. It always amazes me at how much energy Ava has when she is sick (especially once the Tylenol kicks in). It has been a tiring week for Rich and I just to keep up with her since we are tired from the sleepless nights and short naps. Here are a few of the fun things we did to entertain our home bound toddler.

Hot Wheels

Rich busted out the hot wheel tracks and set them up. We bought these tracks at D.I. for only $3. This was the first time Ava got to play with them. She really enjoyed watching the cars go around. She also enjoyed playing with the IKEA storage container we keep them in.

Bowling

This was another steal of a deal when Kmart went out of business in Woodland many years ago. We thought it would came in handy someday and it has. Ava enjoys bowling and has developed her own style.

Aquadoodle

Papa & Nona Bowling gave Ava this neat travel aquadoodle for her birthday. Ava has loved drawing on it. She is getting good at making circles and squiggling snakes. I love to watch my young artist bloom.

Taking the Trike to the Trail

Last Sunday after church we enjoyed a walk on the trail. Ava enjoyed a ride on her new tricycle (with our help of course). It was a nice outing and Ava did well. We did have to push her the whole way, but eventually she will get the hang of it.

I know I'm bias, but isn't Ava just the cutest thing you ever did see. I Love her!!